How To Physically Destroy A Hard Drive

How to physically destroy a hard drive is not a difficult task to perform, however ensuring that the data on the hard drive is destroyed takes a bit more effort. Below are the steps in physically destroying a hard drive.

First make sure you unplug everything from your computer tower

Wait 30 seconds after you have unplugged everything then take your case off

This step is one of the most important ones. Make sure you touch both hands to the metal of your computer case. This will ground you of any static electricity you may have. Make sure to do it a couple times, if you discharge static electricity to other parts of your computer you could destroy your motherboard or other parts of your computer.

Now disconnect all wires connected to your hard drive.

Next make sure you take all screws holding your hard drive in place. Some cases use plastic holding pins for easy access to put them in, and take them out of the case. They normally just bend a bit and easily come out.

Remove your hard drive out of the computer.

Take an industrial strength magnet, touch it to the hard drive making sure to rub the magnet all over the hard drive. This is an extra step to ensure the data of your hard drive is destroyed.

You are now ready for what most would consider the fun part. You can now physically destroy it in nearly any fashion that comes to mind.

You can physically destroy your hard drive by many methods, one effective way is after using the magnet to then burn it. This will melt pieces together and deform the insides of the hard drive. Then if you would like to take it farther, you can then smash it like with a hammer into a million pieces. Finally if you really would like to make sure it is never possible of being fixed take the pieces and drop them in a large, and deep body of water like a lake. If that is not your style burying them also works. These are just a few methods to ensure that when you physically destroy a hard drive that it can never again be read, or any data recovered.